In his dual roles as Investigator
and Director of Research of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute,
Dr. Jim Woodgett applies his visionary approach to research into the
manipulation of cell processes to treat certain cancers, diabetes and
neurodegenerative conditions, and to ensuring that discoveries made by
the world-renowned Institute are applied to patient care.

Dr. Woodgett is interested in the causes and treatment of breast
cancer, liver cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and bipolar disorder. What
links this apparently broad range of diseases is their common basis in
disruption of the lines of communication within the cells, or the
signalling pathways. By studying the ways in which components of these
pathways are mutated and transformed by disease, his team can identify
new and more effective therapeutic targets. Study of the Wnt pathway,
which comprises a number of genes which account for about 90% of human
colon cancer, is a particular area of interest.

Wnt signalling depends on a number of proteins that play essential
roles in other signalling pathways raising the question of signal
selectivity. The laboratory is using proteomics and subcellular
visualization in cells to understand how signalling systems are
effectively insulated from each other, with implications for enhanced
drug targeting specificity.

At a
Glance

Director of Research at Sinai Health System; also holds the Koffler
Directorship for the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

Researches the manipulation of cell processes to treat certain
cancers, diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s
Disease

Focuses on regulatory proteins called kinases -- the master
switches in cells that control responses to the environment

Dr. Woodgett's research group studies the molecular mechanisms by
which the Wnt and PI3K pathways act to promote normal organ development
and are frequently dysregulated in cancers such as breast and liver
cancer. His laboratory is also studying the mechanisms by which
specificity is achieved in cells responding to hundreds of signals
through a limited number of signaling pathways.